12 October 2021
Story #1037
R. Linda:
Me best times happen in the fall when me parents visit from Northern Ireland, and we head down to Sturbridge, Massachusetts, for a leisurely day spent back in time. Fall in Sturbridge is absolutely beautiful. Our day consists of walking around the OLD village, taking in the sights and history, then a quick trip to the gift shop for Mam and Tonya, followed by dinner at the Old Sturbridge Inn. I stayed in Sturbridge some years ago on a business trip. I had accommodations in the old part of the inn, which was just perfect as far as I was concerned. Being a history aficionado, I prefer old inns to new ones. The experience did not disappoint either. As I had settled in to sleep that night, a dog came rushing past me bed, followed by the rustling of taffeta skirts. As suddenly as they arrived, they were gone. I wasn't the only one who heard that me wife did, too! We both said at the same time, "What was that?" I love ghostly encounters, as you know, so it couldn't have been a better or more eventful way to end an evening for this guy.
To get back to Mam and Da's annual October visit, we'd go to the Sturbridge Inn restaurant after our day of sightseeing the old village and waiting for the ladies to finish in the gift shop. The inn's food is the best, and there is a gift shoppe and bakery on the way out to the parking area with bakery goods to die for. Here are a few photographs of one of our trips to Old Sturbridge Village.
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The village is spread out with old colonial-style buildings. Each is open to the public and has some function that people interested in that period will appreciate.
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| The common in the old village |
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Here be the potter's shop
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| There be animal husbandry as well, a working farm too |
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| The dam |
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| The old covered bridge just down from the dam |
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View of the bridge from the far side of the Quinebaug River (a river that runs north!)
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| There be employees dressed in period costumes, which adds ambience to the place |
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| It must be an Irishman who owns this shed. I see potatoes! I can say this being Irish. |
I have been to Sturbridge at other times of the year, but late October seems the best time to avoid crowds. We had the place to ourselves, and getting reservations for dinner was a snap.
Gabe
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this looks like an interesting place. wish I lived on your side of the continent I'd go check it out.
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